1. Field of the invention
This invention relates to a device for longitudinally dividing slaughtered poultry, comprising a conveyor means for the poultry for bringing it on to a stationary elongate positioning member co-operating with a guide member and a cutting member.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A device of this kind is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,731,344. In this known device the conveyor is formed by a number of trays which are coupled to a circulating conveyor chain and which each receive a bird lying loosely therein and convey the same to the positioning member above which there is disposed a second endless toothed conveyor chain for further conveyance of the bird, which passes a number of cutter means extending in the direction of conveyance and intended for longitudinally cutting off parts of the bird.
Purchasers of poultry, and particularly chickens, are today showing an increasing demand for specific parts of the bird, particularly halves or quarters (breast quarters and leg quarters). There is accordingly a need for a device by means of which a bird can be divided into such portions, i.e. longitudinally into two identical halves--each consisting of a leg and breast portion--and preferably also for the subsequent transverse division of these halves into a breast quarter on the one hand and a leg quarter on the other.